Just For Now
by theothermockingjay
Summary: After Syrena's nightmares reveal she is the cause of her mother's death, Aslan sends her and Edmund on a journey to learn the truth and uncover a dark plot along the way. Sequel to "If You Knew." Edmund/OC
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello there everybody! So I did promise the sequel would be up, and well...here it is! The first chapter is short, but that's the way I wanted it to be. _**

**_For those who haven't read "If You Knew", you need to go back and read it before this one, otherwise it won't make any sense at all. The storyline of this one is a continuation of If You Knew, so yeah you should go back and read it. _**

**_Anywho, on with the sequel! Enjoy :)_**

Thick, white flakes of snow fell silently from the sky and landed on the ground surrounding the park bench where a boy of eighteen sat. He tightened the warm scarf around his neck, and breathed into his palms. It was early morning, perhaps five or six, and the streets were relatively silent; the only person he'd seen since leaving his home was a man stumbling in the snow, stinking of drink. But that had been an hour or so ago, and lately time seemed to pass by so slow, it felt like he hadn't seen anyone in days.

There was a lamp across the street from him, which had been why he chose this bench in particular. He could have walked farther where the park was, and found shelter from the snow under the trees, but the lamp reminded him of where he truly felt at home, and so he had been sitting here, watching the bulb flicker inside of the glass. Lucy had always said the Lantern Waste was one of her favorite parts of Narnia, and now sitting here, it was all he had to remind him of there.

He couldn't sit there much longer; the cold quickly became too much to bear, so he stood up and began to shuffle his feet through the snow around the neighborhood back to his house. As he walked, he wondered what the weather was like in Narnia, wondered if the sun was bright and shining and the fawns were dancing in the fields, or if a cool rain was trickling down and the dwarves were cozy in their homes, drinking around a fire and laughing their deep belly laughs. His mind wandered until it came to a girl who he had tried consistently to push from his mind, but never seemed to be able to for very long.

He wondered if Syrena had made it home safely, if she had spoken to Aslan, if she had rekindled her relationship with her father. He then wondered if her skin was still as pale, or as soft as it had been, if her hair still smelled sweetly and was easy to run his fingers through. He wondered if her eyes still held the same, pained light they had when he left her. He wondered about her until he could think no more.

Edmund had become so wrapped up in his thoughts that he never got the chance to realize he had walked right up to a river, and had already trekked a few feet across the ice. He shrugged his shoulders, and continued walking; he was already almost half way across the ice anyway. As he was walking, he could feel the ice beneath his feet shift, and he paused suddenly when he heard a crack. He was half-way across now; there was no hope of turning back. He continued walking, his pace much slower, and he listened carefully for the sound of cracking ice. When he hadn't heard anything for a while, he increased his speed and made a break for the shore. He suddenly felt the ice shake beneath him, and he was dropped into the water below.

The icy blast sent chills up his spine as the ice shattered, and froze his clothes immediately. He struggled in the water, never being much of a swimmer, but he could already feel hypothermia overcoming him, and it weakened every muscle in his body until he couldn't move anymore. He tried to call out for help, but his lungs were being crushed with the weight of the cold and water, and he couldn't make a sound at all. The one thought going through his head was of Syrena and Narnia when he felt his body give up and sink into the depths of the river.

**_Not too bad I think. Like I said, it's short. Don't have much to say here. As usual, review please! I love reviews. They really do brighten my day up a lot and are much appreciated!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Alrighty then; on with the show! Or story, I suppose..._**

**_Enjoy :)_**

The water pushed down on him, squeezing every bone in his body together. He could feel nothing but the cold piercing every inch of skin. And then, he felt a sudden warm breath against his face and he felt no fear, but calm.

The next thing he knew, he could feel warm sunlight on his skin and a light breeze across his face. He opened his eyes, and above him he saw trees, their leaves abnormally large for England. Above the trees, he saw a peek of blue sky and the corner of a fluffy cloud; he was definitely not in England anymore. He knew right away where he was.

He'd been in these woods before, he knew that for sure. But he didn't recognize the area; even in the Golden Age, there had been parts of Narnia he and Peter had not explored, and he was guessing this was one of those areas. He sat up; his clothes were still wet, frozen in some places, and he could feel a cold sweat coming on. He stood up and looked around; there didn't seem to be anyone nearby. There were no sounds, not even of birds or small animals scurrying through the woods. He walked a few paces ahead of him, listening carefully for any sort of sound. That was when he heard the water; the sea was close by.

He started to run through the forest, following the waves crashing on to the beach. It seemed to go on forever; he pushed through hundreds of branches blocking the pathway he was following, jumped over dozens of logs fallen on the ground. He could feel his muscles ache, his legs beginning to seize up, and when he had lost all direction and hope of finding the beach, he squeezed between two trees and stepped onto hot sand.

He hadn't seen this beach before. It was small, no more than several yards in length and width. But the tide was in, and he imagined it was much larger when the water line was farther away. He breathed a sigh of relief. Taking of his winter shoes, he squished his toes into the hot sand and felt them begin to thaw out and regain sensation. He removed his scarf and heavy coat, and tossed his hat away. His skin was already hot to the touch, and he felt the heat reach into the deepest lairs and warm every inch of him. He sat down, relishing in the feeling of being in Narnia, where he truly felt at home. He looked up at the sun, and judged by its position that it wasn't yet midday here. Edmund lay back, and the moment his head hit the sand, he felt himself slipping into dreams of seeing Syrena once again.

"Do you think it's him?"

"Of course it's him, you twit!"

"It's been four years since you last saw him Trumpkin, and you're a lot older now. And the professor says you're eyesight's gone all wonky since then."

"Would you two shut up? It is him all right! Badgers never forget."

"See, Pattertwig? Trufflehunter agrees with me."

Edmund, who had been dozing lightly, was fully awake when they first showed up. He chuckled then, and the three creatures around him jumped back. Edmund sat up and Trufflehunter the badger squealed with delight. "I knew it was you, King Edmund!"

Pattertwig, the little squirrel who loved nuts, crawled up Edmund and sat on his shoulder. "I told them it was you, I did!"

Trumpkin stared at the squirrel, bewildered. He threw his little arms in the air, cursing under his breath.

"What are you doing here, my King?" asked Trufflehunter.

"I'm not sure," Edmund admitted. "Where am I exactly?"

"Close to the castle you are," said Pattertwig. "Miss Syrena's beach to be exact…oh!" the squirrel exclaimed, "What are we still doing here? We have to take you to the castle!"

"We can't just _take_ him there," Trumpkin spat. "There's precautions now, remember?" He turned to Edmund, his eyes glaring at Edmund's face. "What is the name Queen Lucy and Queen Susan gave me long ago?"

Edmund rolled his eyes at the dwarf. "DLF, or Dear Little Friend," he said, and Trumpkin breathed out a sigh of relief. "Why are there precautions?"

The three exchanged glances; Pattertwig jumped off of Edmund's shoulder and skittered into the trees. Trufflehunter bumbled after him. "Best to leave the explaining to King Caspian," Trumpkin said. He turned to follow the others into the trees, and before Edmund could assume he was meant to follow the dwarf, he turned back around. "Well, are you going to leave everyone waiting all day?" Edmund knew better than to annoy the dwarf; he hurried along behind them.

It was midday when Edmund and his three escorts, along with a few of Caspian's own men on horseback, finally reached the golden gates of Cair Paravel. It looked exactly the same as it had when Edmund and his siblings had ruled; even the stone used was the same color, down to the exact shade and texture. He also noticed they managed to rebuild the glorious palace without tearing down much of the apple orchard they had planted those many years ago.

Pattertwig and Trufflehunter were telling him of the rebuilding of the castle when he heard his name yelled ahead. "Edmund!" He smiled widely when he saw Caspian, dressed in more kingly attire than he had been the last time they met, running down the castle steps towards him. The two embraced, and Caspian beamed. "I thought you weren't coming back! Aslan said it was your last time…but here you are! Are the others with you?"

Edmund shook his head. "Just me this time," he responded. Clapping his hand on Caspian's shoulder, he gazed at Cair Paravel. "It looks wonderful." He gazed up the walls, to the towers. From here, he could see the window in the left wing where his old room had been.

"It's taken four years to rebuild. We only just finished a couple months ago. Really, we could have easily spent another few years adding little touches here and there-"

Edmund had stopped listening, because it was at that moment when a flash of color caught his eyes. Turning his gaze back to the staircase, he watched as a girl stood at the top of the steps, her head down as he fastened the ties of her cloak. She had on a green dress, the color of the sea, and a carmine red cloak with embroidery around the edges. Her long dark hair had twists of stringed silver pearls wrapped around the strands, and Edmund noted there was something increasingly familiar about her. She raised her head, and her silver eyes connected with him immediately, and she looked on the verge of tears when she spoke, her voice dripping with sweet sadness and elation at the same time.

"Edmund," she whispered, inaudible to everyone's ears but her own. However, he ran up the stairs to her all the same and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, and felt her shoulders shake as she sobbed into his chest.

Caspian watched the two embrace each other with so much passion and joy, and grinned silently, relishing in the sheer happiness shared between them. The explanations would come later, he knew; but for now, he left them to enjoy their moment of bliss.

**_Okay, so I've gotten a few PMs about readers wanting more intimacy between Syrena and Edmund in this story (and one review) so I am just going to let you all in on a little secret; I want that too! If You Knew was really an introductory into their relationship, and it was more them getting to know each other and get a feel for each other and what their like, or could potentially be like together. So, to answer everyone's dying question, this story will contain WAY MORE INTIMACY than the previous one,_**

**_Secondly, and this is more just a fun little fact, the dress I described Syrena wearing is actually one I drew in my journal about...let me see...April 7th of 2009. And it looks so awesome in my journal, I knew I wanted to use it in these stories. SO, for those who don't know the color carmine, google it. It's really quite a pretty color :) I might just take a pic of the dress and put it on my profile...stay tuned!_**

**_That's all for now I think. Hope you all enjoy this chapter; soon, we will be getting into the...uh..interesting stuff ;)_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hello...well it's been over a month. I will not bother anyone with a long opening apology, so let's just continue on with the story!_**

Syrena held his hand in a tight grip as she led him through the castle. Edmund noticed how quickly her demeanor changed on the steps; she was overjoyed to see him, but after the initial greeting, her eyes went dark and she turned business-like. He wanted to ask her about it, but she had turned with him in tow before he could even get a word out. She walked slowly through the castle, nodding at the servants when they passed, greeting her with "My lady," and smiling.

The further they went into Cair Paravel, the more Edmund began to feel at home again. It had been years it seemed since he last set foot on the smooth stone floor or ran his fingers along the carved walls, and in Narnia time it had been a thousand years since anyone had even seen the castle restored to its original glory.

Syrena led him down a hallway, and pushed the door open at the end; he recognized the carvings of the Battle or Beruna on the door, and knew right away where they were.

Though the furniture was different, he could recognize his old bedroom immediately. The windows still faced the West, which was what he missed most about living in Narnia; the sunsets, with their splashes of pinks and purples and oranges, he thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful. Then he met her.

She strode across the room, and stood in front of a large, dark dresser. "There are clothes in there for you; I had Caspian get them, just in case you ever came back." She threw open the doors, and rustled through the shirts and tunics and trousers. "You need something dry to change into." Edmund watched her, smiling; he noticed she still bit her lip and crinkled her nose slightly when she was deep in concentration. She ended up picking out a light blue top, a dark vest and brown trousers. She tossed them over to him, and then moved to sit on the bed.

She waited for him to change, peering at every inch of his face. He looked different to her, older, but still he seemed to be the same boy she fell in love with; or at least, thinks she fell in love with. None of it really made sense to her. The last year had been horrible without him there, and after a while she began to believe he really never would come back, and so she had pushed him out of her mind. She thought about him every day while he was gone, but now that he was back, she was realizing that she had indeed missed him more than she intended.

Edmund had fully unbuttoned his shirt when Syrena realized how inappropriate it was for her to be in the room. "I…I'll wait outside," she said quickly, and she jumped off the bed and rushed towards the door, the bottom of her dress and cloak swishing against the floor.

"Wait," Edmund said. She stood at the door, her hand resting on the handle. She slowly turned back around to face him, her eyes wide. Her cheeks were flushed. He stood, his torso bare with the blue shirt in his hands, and stepped towards her; his feet made little sound as he walked towards her, and soon he stood directly in front of her, looking down at her; he could feel the tension in the room, and knew she felt it too.

Syrena remained calm as she reached her hands up to his chest, running her fingers along his shoulders, gently brushing his collarbone. He shivered involuntarily; her fingers were frozen. "Sorry," she whispered, and then she grabbed the blue shirt from his hands. He stuck his arms out, and she pulled the shirt on. He watched her tiny delicate hands as she slowly began to button up the shirt. She kept her hands on his chest for a moment after she was done, and then slid out of the way.

"I'll wait outside."

**_I really don't have any excuses. I could say "school is crazy, though it shouldn't be because I have only 2 classes with actual work in them" or "I've been sick and can't talk, therefore affecting my ability to think and write" because that would be lame :)_**

**_So, I guess I will just say that I do apologize for taking so long, and I will do my best not to do that again. I have remembered that I can take my computer to school and do some writing during my spare, which would be nice right? _**

**_Now, about this chapter. I haven't really written anything much like this before; I sort of pictured it differently in my head but I am actually quite proud of the way I wrote it. Like I said, there would be more interaction with Syrena and Edmund, and I figured that they've been apart for a year (same time in both worlds! say WHAAAT?) so there is going to be...well, to put it bluntly, a little sexual tension. _**

**_P.S. this won't be the last of it either! ;)_**

**_Don't forget to review please! I love reviews, and really if you don't have much else to say other than "good chapter" or "wow, you suck" - though the latter might make me cry, I would still like some reviews! Thanks and hope you all, whoever you are, are enjoying life! Much love!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**So sorry about the super duper long wait. I got completely swamped with homework these last couple of weeks (may I just say, I HATE math and chemistry.) So, without further or do (is that how you say it) ON WITH THE FREAKIN' CHAPTER!**_

_**Enjoy **_

Edmund came out the door a few minutes later, dry and warm in the clothes Syrena had handed him; she was leaning against the wall, silently waiting. She did not reach for his hand this time, but instead gestured for him to follow her down the hall again.

She lead him back through the castle, but instead turned left at the front door and Edmund knew she was heading towards the conference room, where he and Peter had spent many hours meeting with lords and Kings from other lands. When they reached the door, Edmund was about to reach and push the door open, but Syrena stopped him by touching his wrist.

"Wait," she said quickly. "Do not tell Caspian anything about my mother. He does not need to know that now."

Edmund wondered silently why she had not told Caspian, but simply nodded his head. She squeezed his wrist gently, and then let him push the door open.

Caspian sat at a large wooden desk with three candles spread in front of him, flipping through pages of reports and shaking his hair out of his face. Behind him, a large map of Aslan's Country hung on the wall, with iron tacks stuck in several places along the southern border of Narnia and throughout Archenland. The rest of the walls were lined with shelves of books and little artifacts, and in front of Caspian's desk were two dark colored cushioned chairs. He did not look up until Edmund shut the door behind him.

"I was wondering when the two of you would grace me with your presence," he said as a joke, though they both could tell it took a huge amount of effort for him to come up with it. Edmund had not noticed it at first, but Caspian looked exhausted. He had not shaved, for there was dark stubble lining his jaw and his upper lip. He had dark circles under his eyes, which looked bloodshot in the dim light of the room; he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Caspian stood up, setting the papers down, and waved them further into the room. Edmund took a seat, but Syrena remained standing. "You look tired," Edmund noted.

Caspian snorted. "So I've heard," he said, eyeing Syrena with a smile in his eyes. "This one has been giving me nothing but trouble about not sleeping."

"Only because I care, and you'd never sleep if you had your way," she replied with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I only came to show Edmund the way here." She bowed slightly to Caspian, glanced at Edmund, and left the room. Once she was gone, the smile dropped completely from Caspian's face.

"She works too hard, always running around trying to help me run a kingdom. And only because I have not found a wife," Caspian sighed, sitting down. He pushed aside the papers he had been shuffling through and leaned against the desk.

Edmund gestured to the papers. "What are all of those?"

Caspian glanced at them quickly. "Ed, what I am about to tell you can never leave this room. Regardless of what you may think, there are still many outside these halls, and within, who are not to be trusted."

Edmund nodded. "Of course."

Caspian passed him one of the papers, and sat back in his chair as Edmund began to read. "There have been reports coming from the towns on the boarder of Archenland and within the kingdom of wildmen ransacking the towns for food and money. Sometimes they take women and children. The Lords have been holding a council for a week now to decide what to do about the matter. None of them can agree on any one plan, and so nothing has been done. I sent out half a dozen parties of men to investigate the matter, but none have come back with any solid information."

"Does Syrena know?"

"Of course, she was one of the first. She's been sitting for her father on the Lord's Council for the last month." At Edmund's confused face, Caspian continued. "Her father went with the last search party; they haven't yet returned."

"And the Lords aren't making any progress?"

"Oh, some progress has been made. Syrena suggested she go to speak with King Koran and try to negotiate some sort of treaty that will put our two kingdoms together until the problem can be identified and solved."

Edmund nearly jumped out of his seat. "That's a dangerous road to travel alone."

"She wouldn't be alone, Ed. I'd send a host of men to go with her if I could, but she has refused any more than four men, at most," Caspian replied.

Edmund leaned forward. "What if I went with her then? I went with Peter during the first peace negotiation between Narnia and Archenland; I know how to deal with them better than most people."

Caspian nodded his head slightly. "I don't see why not; but you'll have to talk to her first. She is very adamant about there being few going with her, regardless of who they are."

"I don't think she'd turn me away; not now."

Caspian shrugged. "She may. The other Lords, they have not given her the warmest welcome into the council. She'll do anything she can to prove she's worthy of filling in for her father."

Edmund left the room shortly after, and strolled down the hall until he found Syrena at the end, standing with her arms crossed in front of a window. She was looking outside, perhaps at something in the distance; Edmund knew that look well. Her eyes were glazed over, and Edmund knew she was deep enough in thought not to notice him. He too k a few tentative steps towards her, and waited for a minute while she stared. He folded his hands together behind his back, and then cleared his throat.

She turned to him, and for a moment her eyes went wide, just like they did when she first saw him. "Sorry. What did Caspian say?"

Edmund came up closer. He stopped when he was standing beside her, and glanced out the window. "He said you already knew it all."

Syrena sighed. She turned to him, and placed her hand on his arm. "I know what you're going to say; I'm crazy right? Caspian said so himself when I told him I wanted to go alone. But there is no need to get anyone else lost in the south."

"So you think it would be easier for you to go alone, get lost alone?" Edmund touched her hand. "You don't always have to do it alone."

"You don't think I know that?" She stepped back away from him. "My father is missing, Edmund. I know that better than anyone else here."

"He wouldn't want you to go alone."

Syrena stepped back even further. "You don't think I can do it, do you? You're just like the rest of them!"

Edmund ran his hands through his hair. "Syrena, you know that's not what I meant."

Syrena glared at him. "No, I don't." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed away from him.

_**Not too bad, huh? I do promise, this story will be going somewhere eventually. It just takes time for me to build up to that point. But, for these last few weeks I've been doing some serious planning and I am almost positive I know exactly where this is going! Thanks so much for being understanding, I feel awful not updating for so long. I will try my very best to shorten the waiting period for the next chapter :)**_

_**Don't forget to review! Thanks a bunch lovelies :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

_I shouldn't have yelled at him like that. _Syrena kept repeating it to herself over and over again as she stormed away from Edmund, down the corridor and to her own rooms. She nearly slammed the door, but at last minute stopped herself from further damaging the castle; she'd knocked down a bookshelf in the hallway when she turned the corner to sharp and clipped her shoulder on the side. After, calmly, shutting the door, she went over to the window where Caspian had the builders make a window seat; it had enough seating space for two people, with dark purple fabric and silver cushions and pillows. She took a seat, waiting for her rapidly-beating heart to slow. The setting sun shimmering through the window behind her cast a golden glow to the room.

It wasn't fair, the way she'd been treating him since he arrived. Gosh, she'd been waiting for him to return for months, and had eventually given up hope of ever seeing him again. She kept replaying that last day with him over and over again, the way he held her and kissed her forehead, and the way she felt her heart drop to her stomach when his form was swallowed up by the waves. But now he was back, warm and comforting and strong and handsome as ever, and she'd run away from him like a child.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by three knocks on her door. She stood up quickly, smoothing the wrinkles on her dress and then wiped her hand curiously under her eyes, checking for tears. "Come in," she called, once satisfied with the lack of moisture on her cheeks.

She had to admit, she was surprised when it was Professor Cornelius's face poking through the door slightly. "Is it safe to come in? Should I be expecting anything thrown at my face?"

Syrena couldn't help but smile. "No, it's alright." She sat back down on the seat.

Cornelius came fully into the room, gently closing the door behind him. "So, you and Edmund-"

"It was nothing, Professor."

"It didn't sound like nothing. Half the castle heard you yell at him, including Caspian."

Syrena blushed. "I didn't realize I had been that loud."

Cornelius shuffled towards her slowly, and lowered himself onto the seat beside her with a pained grunt. "You never did tell me about how this all started."

Syrena smiled, and then told him the story.

Syrena had not come to dinner that night. Caspian and Edmund ate silence alone; Caspian barely touched his food, as he was too distracted by his own thoughts. Edmund was still shaken up by earlier; it had been a very long time since Syrena had yelled at him. He had almost forgotten how much it stung.

He went through every detail of the day while lying in his bed that night, a crackling warm fire in the hearth across the room. His hands were folded up behind his head, and he stared with wide eyes at the ceiling above. He had spent months, trying everything he could to get back to her. He went so far as to open every singly wardrobe in his parent's house to see if they held the same secrets. He realized after his third sweep of the house how foolish he was. Lucy had watched him do this, over and over again, and eventually told him that his attempts were for nothing; he was not going back any time soon. It scared Edmund; what if another fifteen hundred years passed? Syrena would have died…

No, he couldn't think like that. Not now; not now that he was finally here and she was here and they were together again. The thought gave him hope.

He turned his head towards the door when he heard three quiet taps. Edmund sighed, wondering who would be bothering him at this time of night. Pushing back the covers, he pressed his feet to the floor and tip-toed across the cold stone. Upon reaching the door, he pulled it open gently.

Syrena was one the other side, to his surprise. The strings of pearls had been removed, and her hair had been brushed; it hung down her back in soft waves. She had on a thin white nightgown with a cream and red dressing gown over top. Her feet were bare. "Were you asleep?" she whispered.

Edmund's eyes were wide as he shook his head. He stepped back, and she swiftly entered the room. "What are you doing here?"

Syrena was standing at the fire when he turned after shutting the door. "I came to apologize. I was out of line earlier, and I'm sorry." She sat down in one of the chairs, and Edmund was reminded of the first time he saw her, when she had needed him most. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her skin paler than he remembered and grey underneath her eyes. "The lords, they are absolute wolves. They care nothing for the people of Narnia, only of what will make their lands richer and their pockets fuller. They have not taken too kindly to my father choosing me as his replacement. They think I am too close to Caspian, and they still believe he is too young, that he will make rash decisions without consulting them first."

Edmund crouched down in front of her, grabbing one of her hands in both of his. He rubbed gentle circles across her palm. "Don't let that dishearten you. I've seen you with men who hold more power before, and you've always stood your ground."

Syrena smiled. "You are too kind." Edmund smiled back. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Syrena stood up, her hand still entwined in Edmund's.

"I want to show you something."

_**I wish this could have been better. I have been really uninspired in the last week. On Nov. 26, a friend of mine who I'd grown up with died in a car accident. He was one of the most wonderful people I have ever known in my whole life, and it's hard to believe he's gone. I've been trying to write all week, and I really have been having a hard time doing it. So, as a result, this is what you guys are left with :/**_

_**On a high note, I'm excited for the next chapter. It's a pretty important one, so stay tuned**_

_**Don't forget to review please. I'm in need of a few of those right now. They keep me inspired :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**I was going to wait a while to post this, try to make it better. But honestly, I don't think there is much I could do to fix it. You know those chapters that are less important than the others, but have to be in there? This is one of those :) However, the ending has a sweet little moment for all of you :)**_

Edmund slipped a tunic over his head and he and Syrena crept out of his room, shutting the door silently behind them. Edmund assumed that it was close to midnight by now, and if the two of them were caught together this late, there would be rumors flying throughout the castle in the morning. Instead, Syrena slipped her arm through his and the strolled quietly through the halls.

"There's a room that Caspian had rebuilt first; it has always been my favorite," she said. Edmund listened intently.

"After my father left and Caspian's family took me in, I was so restless. In my childhood, I wasn't one for court life; so instead of learning to play and instrument or sew, I'd spend hours wandering the woods around Miraz's castle. That was when I came across these ruins for the first time, and I would pretend it was my home and I was Queen…" she continued to whisper, telling Edmund stories of her childhood, and the entire time he was smiling.

She turned them down one last hallway, and at the end there was a huge double door, teakwood, with handles the size of Edmund's fist. They were gold, and shaped like a lion's head; Aslan. She stopped talking once turning.

Edmund couldn't help but notice the sereneness of the hallway as they walked quietly down its immensity. The hall was wide enough to fit several people, and was lined on one side with high windows; the moonlight cast an eerie blue glow, the only source of light in the hallway. It made Syrena's hair look red. There was no sound in the hall besides the soft taping of Edmund's untied boots and Syrena's bare feet. She let go of him for a moment to reach the door, and pushed it open with both of her hands; the hinges creaked from the pressure, but the door swung open easily and Syrena stepped aside to let Edmund in ahead of her.

The first thing he saw upon walking into the room was himself; the room alone was perhaps the size of a large bedroom, with a domed glass roof above their heads but seemed beyond its capacity by the mirrors lining the walls. They were huge, streaming from the edge of the glass ceiling to the floor, and covered the walls in their entirety. Syrena shut the door quietly. The room was cold, which Edmund had not noticed until Syrena pulled her dressing gown tighter around her.

"I come here sometimes, when I need to think. It's called the Hall of Mirrors."

Edmund turned his gaping face away from his reflection, towards her. She stood only a few feet from him. "This wasn't here during the Golden Age."

She pushed off the floor and came to stand beside him. "You didn't think Caspian would make it and exact replica, did you? Many rooms have been added," she pointed out, grabbing his arms and turning him towards the mirrors. "This one, for example, is a room for reflection. Since it was built, I've been in here trying to figure out whatever I can that I knew about my mother."

"Why didn't you want me to tell Caspian?"

Syrena's eyes darkened slightly. He watched her face change in the mirror. "He will ask questions; questions I don't yet have answers to. I don't want to worry him."

All of a sudden, Syrena felt a warm breath spread over their shivering bodies, almost like a summer wind. "Can you feel that?" she muttered. Edmund nodded, brushing his hand slightly against hers. They stepped back a few feet as a shadow began to form in the mirror's reflection; they could hear the soft tapping of leather against the floor; Syrena foolishly turned to see if someone was behind them, and then shook her head. She knew who it was the moment she felt the chill disappear from the room.

"Aslan."

The great golden lion stood before them, his shimmering coat almost silver in the blue light. He gently shook his mane, his gold eyes glinting. "Hello, children," Aslan said, his deep voice sending chills down their spines.

"What are you doing here?" Syrena asked.

Aslan smiled. "I am always here," he said, and Syrena blushed, a slight grin on her face. "I came to warn you."

"About what?"

Aslan sat back on his hind legs. Syrena could see his tail swinging behind him. "There are some within these halls who are not to be trusted; some who would be willing to risk everything that is dear to them for power."

Syrena and Edmund exchanged a glance. "Who?" they both asked.

Aslan shook his head. "I cannot tell you; that is something you will learn on your own in time."

"Aslan, I don't understand," Syrena said. Edmund didn't say anything, but he was asking himself the same question.

"First, you must go to Archenland; there is a witch, Irena of the Bruha Gwilad, who can tell you what you want to know."

Syrena wasn't sure exactly, but she had a feeling that Aslan was speaking directly to her, and every question that had passed through her thoughts about her mother. "Thank you, Aslan."

Edmund had walked with Syrena back to her room, walking just as silently as before; but the knowledge of what Aslan had told them hung heavily over their heads, and neither of them really felt like talking. However, Syrena had taken his hand again, which lifted Edmund's mood just a little bit.

When they reached her door, Syrena turned to him. "We have to tell Caspian tomorrow." Edmund nodded. "The sooner we leave the better." She turned to open her door, but Edmund reached for her arm.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

"No." Syrena said so simply; Edmund almost believed her.

"Yes you are; I can see it in your face," Edmund replied. "We don't have to do this right away."

Syrena sighed. "Edmund, you don't understand. I have to do this. Whatever is going on, I think it has to do with my mother; I need to know what this witch knows."

Edmund could understand that feeling. "I'm still coming with you."

Syrena smiled, and then reached her hand up and stroked her hand along the side of his face, brushing his hair to the side. "I know, and I'm glad you will be with me."

Edmund smiled, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed against her skin.

_**I just want to say thank you so much to everyone's kind words over the last few days; they have very much helped me get through all of this. However, I knew that if I stopped writing for a while that it would just get harder. And, just to add this in, my friend would not be very happy to know I gave up because of him :) **_

**_So, thanks again. I'm just going to let you all know that I will not be posting anything again right away; I really want to work on these next few chapters to get myself back into the swing of things and treat you all to some really good chapters! I would probably say the next chapter won't be up until after Christmas._**

**_So, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! I love you all very much 3_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**I'll make this quick. First of all, hello there. Sorry about the extremely long wait; life got a bit crazy for a while due to diplomas (sort of like SATs or A-levels) and I was studying like a mad man. But I am back now, and this story is turning out to be nothing like I planned, which is excellent. :) I wrote an extra special long chapter for you guys a little apology gift for taking so long. BTW happy belated Valentine's day :) **_

_**Without further or do...**_

Syrena's hand glided across the top of the long grass, the tips tickling her palm. The sun blazed down on her from its place high in the sky; she felt the warmth seep into the deepest layer of skin. Her white dress floated behind her, light and airy. She was wearing no shoes.

Syrena knew she should not be here. There was fear in her heart for what was coming. She wanted to shut her eyes, but she could not; it was like they were being held open by glue. Her body continued to move forward. In front of her, she saw a shape begin to form, the silhouette slowly becoming clearer and clearer. And for the first time in her life, she saw her mother.

For years, various nobility and townsfolk had told her she looked just like her mother, but Syrena never believed them. Now she saw, they were right. She too had dark hair, and the same pale skin. Even their figures were similar. The most obvious similarity, however, were their eyes. They were the same luminescent silver.

"My daughter," Amaris spoke softly.

Syrena did not know how to respond. But she didn't have to; the dream spoke for her. "Why am I here?"

Amaris did not smile, or frown. Her face remained unchanged. "There is something you must know before you continue down the path you are heading."

"The night I died is the key to everything. I cannot tell you why, or how; that is for you to discover for yourself. Only then will you truly believe it," she said, smiling at the last bit. "I am to blame for your stubbornness. We stars are not known for our ability to forgive or forget; a quality I seem to have passed on to you."

"I wish I had known you, growing up. I wish I had just had that chance, even for a few more years. I wish I could have remembered your face."

Amaris reached her hand out. She brushed it gently across Syrena's cheek, light as a feather. "You are more than I could ever have asked for; I do not deserve a daughter like you." Her hand dropped, and her tone became serious again. "You must go now, for you cannot stay in my world for long. The witch Irena knows the truth behind it all. You must learn how I died, for only you can stop the murder of the King."

Syrena opened her mouth, but Amaris was backing away. She raised her hand. "Hush; go now. It will all make sense in due time."

Edmund was sitting on a chair outside the Great Hall, watching with curious eyes as Syrena paced back and forth in front of the door, her dark blue dress sweeping up every last speck of dust on the floor. She was fiddling with her hands, and whispering words under her breath that Edmund could not hear.

"What is taking them so long?" she asked eventually. Her stride seemed to quicken as she spoke. "They have been in there for almost an hour; a decision must have been made by now." It was late in the evening; the Lords had refused to see them any earlier, stating they had more urgent matters to attend to beforehand. Syrena had not liked this fact.

"Perhaps they are all on the other side of the door, listening with their heads pressed to the wood to your furious tapping on the floor." Edmund received quite the glare, though she did slow down to an almost normal pace.

"It's not funny. Every minute they spend in there is a minute wasted." She glanced up at the door. "Perhaps they have decided we will do nothing."

Edmund stood up and went to stand in front of her. He placed his hands on her arms, holding her still. "They have no reason not to let us go. Caspian is in there advocating for us, they will not go against the King."

As Edmund spoke, the door to the hall opened and Caspian stood before them. "They will see you now." He looked tired, disheveled even. It caused worry in Syrena's mind; the Lords were not going to let them go.

She led the way down the hall towards the Lords. They sat around a semi-circle shaped table, each seating place with a high-backed chair. Behind them there was a grand window, taking up most of the back wall. Even with the window, the room was still slightly darker. There were tall columns, at least two stories high, on either side of the room, holding up the roof which peaked in the middle. It reminded Edmund of the throne room during the Golden Age.

"Lady Syrena, King Edmund of Old," they were greeted by the man in the middle of the table. He looked slightly familiar to Edmund, though he could not place his finger on why.

"Lord Revilian," Syrena replied. Edmund held in a gasp; three of the Lords they had rescued were seated before them. Edmund was now able to glance at each of the faces and recognize who was who. Mavramorn and Argoz were on Revilian's either side, their gazes tired and uninterested.

"King Caspian has come to us about the task he has given you to see the king of Archenland," Revilian began. Edmund glanced sideways at Syrena; she was glaring back at him with the same intensity he gave her. He had a feeling the two of them did not much like one another. "I, for one, do not think this a wise decision for a many reasons. One, you are a woman, and a journey such as this is best left to men who understand the rules of politics."

Edmund could feel Syrena's hatred burn off of her. He stepped slightly closer to her. "I believe I am well versed in the rules of politics, my Lord. I have been given a front row seat to how fickle politics are for the last month."

Murmurs broke out among the Lords. Behind them, Caspian drew in a quick breath. Revilian was the only one who seemed unabashed. He simply smiled, though Edmund felt poison beneath it. "If it is the wish of the council for you and King Edmund to travel, then it will be done. King Caspian and Lord Ettinsmoor-" he said, glancing sideways at a man, perhaps in his mid to late fifties, who was grinning at the young pair standing in front of him,"-both support your going."

"You will leave at dawn."

Syrena could feel her legs shaking slightly beneath her, whether out of delight the Lords agreed, or fear that they would be leaving so soon. But it was for the best. "Thank you, my Lords," she said, bowing to them. Edmund repeated the farewell, and both left the room together. Caspian shut the door behind them.

Edmund walked Syrena to her room, both whispering to each other. They agreed to pack quickly, and Syrena would bring her bag to Edmund's room when she was done.

Edmund packed quickly, taking only the very little he knew he'd need. Caspian had come out after them a few minutes later, saying they would be able to grab food for the journey in the morning. The lords agreed to send no less than seven men along with them, though they preferred the standard twelve that normally would go along, but Caspian convinced them that only seven were needed, for they were in no danger whilst among the Archenlanders.

A soft tap on his door signaled Syrena's arrival; she did not wait for him to answer the door, but came in quietly, shutting the door behind her. Edmund stood quickly. She was still in her gown from earlier, and had a leather sack in her arms. She had packed light, Edmund thought, remembering the trunks Susan would bring with them when they'd travel. Her hair seemed messier than usual; Edmund guessed she had rushed around her room, packing as quickly as possible.

"I did not know what I would need," she said as she came in. She dropped the bag on the floor and sunk immediately into a chair across from the fire, her shoulders slouched. Edmund wanted to laugh.

Instead, valuing his life above his amusement, he grabbed a map from the desk and came towards her. Sitting on the ground, he rolled it out. "Come here," he said, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her down beside him. "I was thinking we could go along the old trade routes; they are hardly used any more, according to Caspian. It would help keep us undetected."

Syrena sighed heavily. She was tired, more exhausted than she had been in a long time. Her dream the night before had woke her up early in the morning, and she had been unable to fall back asleep. She had not told Edmund about the dream, nor did she plan to. She had told him that she hadn't dreamt of her mother since they left Aslan's island, which was true. She did not want to worry him now with this. "I think that is an excellent idea."

Edmund did laugh aloud this time. "Perhaps I will make the plan, and you should sleep."

Syrena turned to him. "I am not tired," she stated matter-of-factly. Edmund smiled. She leaned into him quickly, planting a hard kiss on his mouth. Her arms were around his neck, pulling him closer. Edmund grinned against her mouth.

"We really should sleep," he said. She sighed again, nodding her head.

Syrena lay her head down in his lap, looking up at him. "I think you are right." He began to play with her hair, running his hand along the dark curls. She soon drifted, his tender touch lulling her into a dreamless sleep.

_**Hope you all enjoyed. Review and let me know what you think! **_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Edmund woke the next morning alone on the floor of his room. He sat up slowly, stretching his arms high above his head. He thought perhaps Syrena had crawled up to the chair or the bed, but she did not appear to be anywhere in the room, and her bag was missing. He felt momentarily panicked by the lack of her presence. Standing up quickly, he made his way to the door to find her. Before he could make it there though, there was a knock.

Caspian stood on the other side. "Syrena and the others are waiting for you at the gate. Javan has readied your horse for you."

"Did I sleep in too much?"

"Dawn has only just passed," Caspian replied as Edmund grabbed his own pack. "You must have needed the sleep."

They walked out of the castle together, heading towards the front gate. Cornelius met them at the door, where he passed Edmund a package of medicines. "In case you find our missing people," he had said when Edmund asked what they were for.

The sound of horse hooves on cobbled stones signaled that they had reached the front gate. Edmund spotted Syrena standing beside a large black horse, dressed in a brown riding gown. Her long dark hair was fastened in a braid that hung halfway down her back. She was speaking with a tall, dark skinned man with hair as long as Caspian's. He was several years older than Caspian as well.

"Javan!" Caspian called. The man talking to Syrena turned to them and waved.

"Edmund, this is Javan. He is Revilian's son. Javan, this is—"

"Edmund, King of Old. I have heard many stories of you," Javan said, cutting off Caspian. His voice was deep, with a thick Telmarine accent. "It is an honor." He clapped Edmund on the shoulder. Syrena watched the exchange with an amused glint in her eyes. She wandered over to Edmund, where she proceeded to take him by the hand and introduce him to the rest of the soldiers riding with them.

Amidio and Tito were closest. Both, like Javan, were tall and dark and much older. Pascal and Inzo were the twins, both slightly shorter than the others, but had stronger builds. Pascal had his long hair tied back, while Inzo had his cut short. He also had a gold hoop piercing the top of his ear. Then Syrena swept him to where the other two were. Isaia, who was the oldest of the group, looked like the others, except his skin had obvious sun damage, and his hair had flecks of silver peeking through. Vanni was the youngest, barely older than Edmund. His skin, while still tanned, was quite a bit lighter than the others, and his hair was dark gold in color. Each one of the men greeted Edmund with courtesy.

Syrena brought him back to where the black horse was. "This is Teyo. He will be your horse while you are here." She kept a strong grip on his hand, leading him towards Teyo's front. Edmund watched his dark eyes follow him. Once they stood in front of Teyo, a few good feet away, Teyo raised his head. He was much taller than Edmund had realized, muscular and elegant.

"You need to wait and let him come to you. He isn't an aggressive horse, but he doesn't know you yet."

Edmund nodded, not feeling the need to remind her he has been on a horse before. Teyo stood still watching them for a moment. They both waited patiently. Finally, Teyo took a few tentative steps towards them, lowering his head as he moved. Once he was within arms-reach, Syrena lifted his hand and held it out. Teyo continued to lower his head until his cheek brushed Edmund's fingers. Then, he rubbed his face against them.

Syrena smiled beside him. "He seems to like you alright."

With help from Javan, Edmund attached his back to the saddle on Teyo's back, and then hoisted himself onto the seat. It took a moment for his body to readjust itself, but he had always been a natural on horses; even more so than Peter. That had always been the one thing Edmund held over him.

Syrena gave Caspian one last hug, and then lifted herself onto her horse, a small and well-built mare. The mare's dark coat shined red in the sunlight peeking over the edge of the wall. "Let's go," she said, and Javan kicked the sides of his horse, leading the others through the gate.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Edmund learned much about the soldiers during that first day. He discovered that Pascal and Inzo were twenty-five years of age, and that Pascal was a few minutes older than Inzo. Amidio and Tito had been friends since they were children. Javan was the youngest of Lord Revilian's sons, and his two older brothers were married with their own families, living on the family's land. Javan became a soldier because he did not want to live the monotonous life he viewed the rest of his family having. Isaia had served Caspian's father, and enjoyed the occasional drink. Edmund had seen him pull a small flask out of his saddle pack several times during the day. Vanni loved to read, and kept the others well entertained with stories.

"Have you heard the story of Queen Swanwhite?" Vanni had asked early on in the day. Syrena, who had been near the front, stopped and waited for Edmund and Vanni to catch up.

"I haven't heard it," she said, though Edmund had a feeling she was lying. Her mouth was pulled up slightly in the corner, and he knew her well enough to know she was merely entertaining Vanni's love of storytelling.

"Well," began the young man, "she is said to be the most beautiful queen Narnia has ever had. Even more beautiful than your sister," he said to Edmund. "Story goes that she once to sat at the edge of a pool in her garden and stared at her reflection in the water. Those who came by afterwards say they saw her reflection, still on the water, months afterwards. People would sit there every day until, after a year and one day, her reflection finally disappeared. The people were so distraught that for the remainder of her reign, every year and a day she would go out to the pool and sit and look at her own reflection; just so that the others could see her beauty."

"That is a lovely story, Vanni," Syrena said. She moved her horse closer to Edmund's, and spoke only so he could hear. "Last year, after you were gone and the castle was completed, Caspian hosted a huge party for all the lords and ladies and townspeople. Vanni drank so much that he went out to one of the pools in the gardens and cried because he didn't have hair as beautiful as Swanwhite. No one found him until the next morning."

Edmund snorted. He decided then that he enjoyed Vanni's company, storytelling and all.

They had not seen anyone along the road on the first day. In fact, they did not see anyone until later in the evening, when they reached a village called Thandor, just north of where the Eastern Sea became Glasswater Creek.

It was a quiet village, with only one small inn. They left their horses in the hands of a couple of stable boys, and went inside.

The inn keeper, who was an elderly man that could not stand up straight, leaned heavily on the counter by the door. Javan spoke to him while the others crowded into the dining area. An older woman, who Edmund guessed was the inn keeper's wife, brought out bowls and a large pot of hot stew. Two younger girls, perhaps their grandchildren, followed behind her with a baskets of bread rolls. Everyone dug in immediately.

Edmund was halfway through his bowl when Syrena stood up and wandered over to where the inn keeper's wife was sitting, polishing up silverware at a rickety wooden table. She sat down across from the woman and began to speak. The woman watched her carefully, her eyebrows pulling together in concentration. She said something back to Syrena, and then before Edmund knew it, she was beside him once again.

Javan joined them a few minutes later. "They have four rooms available. Syrena can have one to herself. The rest of us can split up between the other three."

Syrena began to protest, and then stopped. Edmund glanced over at her. She lowered her head quickly, staring into her half-filled bowl. Edmund reached a hand over to hold hers, under the table. He shared her feelings of disappointment at hearing they would be separated. They had really only ever spent three nights together before; two of those had been out in the open, surrounded by a bunch of smelly sailors. Regardless, he knew he would miss her presence with him tonight.

After filling their bellies with the stew and bread, and later ale that the inn keeper's wife brought out, Javan announced they needed to rest up for the long day ahead. He hoped by tomorrow evening they would reach the border between Narnia and Archenland, and wanted to get an early start. Candles were blown out and the fire spread around in the hearth, and suddenly it seemed later than Edmund had realized. He stood up and followed the rest of the men to the stair case. They began to squabble over who would have to be in a room with Pascal and Inzo, who apparently snored louder than any dwarf in Narnia, when he felt Syrena's hand wrap around his arm and stop him before he was halfway up the stairs.

"Wait a minute," she whispered. Edmund squinted at her in the dark, barely able to make out the glint of her silver eyes. They stared at each other as they waited for the sound of the men's footsteps to disappear.

"I asked the woman if she had seen any of our patrols. She said one passed through here a few weeks ago, back when a few of the farmers just outside of the village lost a summer's worth of crops overnight, their storerooms completely emptied. She hasn't seen the patrol since, but you can bet they went after the raiders."

"Do you think the patrols are in Archenland somewhere? Perhaps your father is going where we are; to see Koran."

Syrena shrugged. "Maybe. He would have sent something though, a report of some type to Caspian. He wouldn't just go off without letting us know what was happening."

Edmund stepped down until they were at eye level, and pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck. Edmund was surprised to feel her shoulders, stiff against his arms, begin to shake. She was crying. "I don't know what to do," she sobbed quietly into his shoulder.

"Hey," Edmund said. He squeezed her tighter. "We'll figure this out. We just need to get into Archenland. That's it. Then we can find Irena."

Syrena pulled away to look at him. "What if this is all some sort of trick? What if there is no Irena; what if that dream never happened? I feel like I'm losing my mind." Tears began to fall in a slow stream down her face. Edmund reached a hand up and brushed them away gently.

"You're not crazy."

Edmund waited with her for several minutes, holding her tightly, until she calmed down. Her limbs were shaky as they climbed the stairs together. Edmund kept a hand on her back to keep her from toppling backwards. They stepped into the hallway and found her room. Edmund guided Syrena to the bed, where he helped her sit and remove her riding boots, and tucked her under the blankets. He waited there in the darkness, completely silent, until she fell asleep. He pressed his lips against her forehead, staying for a moment too long, and then left her room to find his own.

_**Helloooo.**_

_**I did upload two new chapters tonight. Chapter 8 is a bit shorter than this one is. If you did not receive an email update about Chapter 8, please go back and read it!**_

_**I am so very sorry to everyone who has/had been enjoying this story. I had actually lost the inspiration and enthusiasm for writing (in general), and did not really get it back until earlier this week when I received an email saying this story had a review. The fact that it has been over a year, and people are still reading the story, is incredible to me. Therefore, I knew I needed to continue. So, thank you. I owe you all a lot for helping me regain a small bit of the passion I had for these characters and the story, and writing. **_

_**I recently started university, so I have been quite overwhelmed with the change. I have Fridays off, so I have a three day weekend every week. I am going to try and get at least a chapter out every weekend. Some weekends there may be more than one, and some weekends there may not be a chapter. I won't make any promises, as we all know I am not the greatest at keeping them. But I will try my very best. **_

_**I hope you all are doing well. Feel free to PM me at any time for a chat.** _


	10. Chapter 10

"Pascal, give it back!" Vanni lunged at Pascal, swiping his hand out to try to grab his sword. Pascal jumped back, laughing as he tossed the sword towards Inzo. Inzo caught it quickly, holding it just out of Vanni's reach. This continued on for several minutes, until Isaia glared at Pascal and Inzo. They threw the sword back to Vanni.

Syrena was sitting against a tree, attempting to rest. She had not had much sleep the night before, much to her dismay. Her dreams were plagued with images of Amaris. It felt strange to refer to her as her mother; she never had a chance to be just that. Calling her Amaris, calling her by her name, was much easier.

Edmund and Javan were discussing where to go next; they wanted to get to the King's capitol as soon as possible. Syrena was chuffed that they weren't involving her, but she didn't know anything about Archenland. She would have been useless.

She leaned her head back against the tree and looked up at the tree canopy above. The sun beamed down between the leaves into the clearing, speckling the ground with light. She shut her eyes; the warmth felt wonderful against her skin. She began to doze.

She didn't rest for long. When she awoke, the others were sitting around against trees as well; some were asleep. Syrena stood up and stretched, reaching her arms high above her head. She wandered over to Javan, who was standing at the perimeter. His arms were crossed tightly against his chest.

"This is strange," he said.

"What is?"

"We have yet to see a single soldier. We crossed into Archenland hours ago; a patrol should have passed us by now."

"Perhaps they are dealing with the rumored bandits."

Javan shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think so. We haven't met any bandits either…Something isn't right."

By early evening, they had reached the largest mountain range in Archenland called Stormness Head. Edmund said Anvard, the King of Archenland's keep, was past the mountains. Syrena was glad to hear they would not have to go over them. Instead, they would travel through the mountain pass. Javan, always cautious, made sure everyone had a weapon on them.

Edmund rode up beside Syrena. She turned and smiled at him.

"Did you have a nice nap earlier?" he asked her.

She snorted. "Oh yes. The rough tree bark and cold dirt helped so much." Edmund laughed at her. She reached one arm over and shoved him; he nearly lost his balance, almost knocking himself off of Teyo.

Syrena was still laughing when she felt something whiz past her ear. She heard a thunk against a tree to her right; an arrow stuck into the bark.

"Javan!" she yelled.

Javan turned on his horse, and his eyes widened. He yelled, signaling to the others. Syrena whipped around and saw men jumping out of the trees behind them. Bandits.

Several more arrows were shot towards them before they had their swords drawn. The bandits yelled and jumped at them. Syrena swung her sword at one who nearly jumped on top of her; he fell just below her. Edmund was swinging his sword at two men around him. One jumped back out of the way, slamming his back into Amidio's horse. Amidio stabbed him through the gut.

There were more running towards them from behind. Syrena pulled a dagger from her boot and threw it into the chest of one who had grabbed on to Javan and was trying to pull him off of his horse. Javan nodded thanks towards her, jumping off of his horse. He ran towards the bandits, holding his sword out in front of him and cutting them down one by one.

Syrena was flustered. Everything around her was chaos: the clash of sword against sword, of men yelling at one another. She couldn't keep her eyes focused on one thing. She heard Edmund yelp; a bandit had cut his shoulder. Syrena pulled her second dagger out of her other boot, held it in front of her face, and threw. It went into the bandit's neck, and he fell forward, tumbling over Teyo and falling to the ground. Edmund dropped his sword and gripped his bleeding shoulder. Syrena turned her horse Friga and went to him. "Are you all right?" she called over the noise.

Edmund nodded; he was paling. Syrena jumped off Friga and grabbed his sword. She turned to see two bandits behind her. She slashed a sword towards one, catching him at the crook between neck and shoulder. The second lunged towards her, swinging his sword horizontally. She easily ducked under, slicing at his leg. The man fell to the ground, and Syrena stabbed him in the chest. She pressed her foot against him, pushing him back as she pulled her sword out. Her hair had come out of its knot and was hanging in sweaty pieces around her face. She looked around. There were only several bandits left, and each of them were fighting one of the others. She wasn't worried. These were some of the best trained soldiers under Caspian's command. She turned back towards Edmund.

He was leaning over Teyo's neck, still clutching his shoulder. Syrena bent over and cut into the bottom of her dress. She tore around the skirt, and ended up with a long bandage. She helped him down from Teyo, guiding him to sit down.

"I don't have anything clean to bandage it with. You'll have to hold this against it until it stops bleeding."

Edmund nodded. His face was so pale, and he looked tired. Javan came up behind her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"His shoulder was cut. I don't have any bandage, nothing to clean it with. Stupid, I was stupid; I should have thought to bring some," she spoke quickly. Javan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're only a few miles from a town. We can stop there."

Javan directed them towards an inn. Syrena had Edmund on Friga. She walked, with Friga and Teyo's reigns in her hands. Edmund had drank water and some food; his color was returning. They needed to get his wound bandaged before it became infected.

Vanni and Pascal also had cuts. Vanni had a gash in his thigh; Pascal had a cut across his chest. Neither one was very deep, but they had been bleeding. Theirs needed to be bandaged soon too.

Once at the inn, Javan and Isaia helped Edmund inside. Inzo took Vanni and Pascal. Amidio and Tito helped Syrena with the horses. They had decided they would stay here tonight, and make the last stretch to Anvard tomorrow. They carried in everyone's packs.

When they went inside, Pascal and Vanni were being bandaged. Thankfully, the innkeeper had called for the town's physician, who cleaned and treated Edmund's wound first. He was sitting in a cushioned chair in front of a fire, a blanket around his shoulder and a mug of tea in his hand. He grinned when Syrena came in.

"He got me good, didn't he?" he said, still smiling.

Syrena beamed back at him.

_**Hello! Sorry this took so long. My professors piled on 5 papers, 3 midterms, a presentation and several assignments on me all within the last month. I have been very busy! I have one final left on Monday, and then I am done until January 7th! Hopefully that means I will have a lot of time for writing :) **_

**_Thanks again for continuing to read "Just for Now", and for all the reviews and follows! I appreciate every single one of you. _**

**_Also, I am planning on putting together a couple 8tracks playlists; one for "If You Knew" and another for "Just for Now." I don't know when they will be up, but I will post links on my profile and let you guys know! I find listening to music helps me when I write. _**

**_Thanks again! _**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Quick thing before the chapter: I literally post these right after I type them up, usually without doing any revision grammar-wise. So, if there is ever any mistakes, just know that I am fully aware they are probably going to be there; I just prefer to post these ASAP. **_

_**(As a communications student who had to take a grammar class, I know just how annoying it can be. I really hate reviewing for mistakes though, so I don't really bother.)**_

Anvard was larger than Edmund had been expecting. The keep was made of dark grey stone, and was surrounded by tall stone walls. Past the gate, there were small houses with thatched roofs all around. They were able to pass through the gate with little trouble.

He couldn't move his left shoulder much, but he was able to ride and control Teyo with his right. "This place reminds me of the old castles back home in England," he said to Syrena, who was riding close beside him. Syrena smiled slightly; Edmund knew she was nervous.

They were greeted at the keep by a young man with dark curls and tanned skin. "Welcome. I am Kiran, son of King Koran. We reached word from King Caspian of your travelling to us." His voice was low and inviting, and he seemed friendly enough. "If you'll follow me into the keep, my father will see you right away."

They left their horses with several stable boys who came running towards them. Javan helped Edmund down from Teyo; his entire left side was stiff from having to keep his shoulder still. Syrena was immediately in diplomat mode; she followed Kiran up the steps, where they stopped and waited for the others. Once everyone was ready, Kiran led them inside.

Everything was stone inside, similar to Cair Paravel, except the floor was made of an array of colorful tiles. Large, thick tapestries hung on the walls, and red and gold silk curtains framed the windows. Kiran did not have to lead them far inside; from the front gate, they went down a long, wide hallway until they came to a large wooden door. Kiran pushed it open and allowed the group to go through before he followed and shut the door behind them.

They were inside a large room with high ceilings. Directly in front of them was a stone throne with colorfully-patterned fabric draped across. King Koran was not on the throne. He stood in front of a table to the side of the room.

"Welcome! I am Koran. Please sit, we have much to discuss."

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

"So," King Koran began, "King Caspian said you are here to negotiate a treaty between our two kingdoms."

Everyone was seated around the table. Syrena sat across from King Koran, with Edmund and Javan on either side of her.

"Yes. We know of the raids that have happened along the border between our two countries. Caspian has suggested a merge of our two armies together, for the time being, to guard the villages along the border."

King Koran nodded slowly. "That could be arranged. What would you do in return for my men?"

Syrena's eyebrows pulled together. "It would be equal between our two countries," she said, obviously taken aback by King Koran's question. "Neither would provide more men than the other, and everyone would work together to keep the border safe."

King Koran smiled kindly. "The villages in Archenland have lost more than those in Narnia," he began. "Some say that it is Narnian men who are attacking."

Syrena glared at Koran, and Edmund watched as her hands clenched into fists on the table. He reached over and placed a hand gently on her arm, and watched as the tension in her body released at his touch. "I can assure you, it is not Narnian men who are responsible for this," he said to King Koran.

King Koran's eyes flicked from Syrena's to his. "Who are you again, boy?"

Edmund smiled. "My name is Edmund. King Edmund of Old, actually."

King Koran snorted at that. "Ah, yes, I had heard rumors of an ancient king returning a few years ago."

"They were not rumors. I can assure you of that."

"Narnia will not give payment to Archenland for your men, as we do not expect payment for our own," Syrena said, having regained her calm demeanor. "As I said, all soldiers would be equal together. This is as much for your country's safety as it is our own."

King Koran stared back at Syrena for a long while. Edmund would have expected anyone else to crack under the intensity of it, but he knew better of Syrena. She was not easy to crack.

"If Archenland is to join forces with Narnia, there needs to be some sort of bond between our countries. An unbreakable bond."

Javan spoke for the first time. "What sort of unbreakable bond?"

The king smiled again. "I was thinking of a marriage."

Syrena's face scrunched up again. "You have no daughters for Caspian to marry. Caspian has no sisters for your son to marry."

"Yes, I have no daughters and he has no sisters. But there is someone high up in Caspian's council."

"Who?" Javan asked.

"You," King Koran said, staring nonchalantly at Syrena. "Your father has already agreed to it."

_**Uh to the oh to the oh hell no.**_


	12. Chapter 12

**_It's been a while, hasn't it? _**

**_Mermaids Forever (Guest): Yes, Lord Rhoop is her father. As much as I dislike that name, I chose to keep it the same as it was in the books in my last story, and I have carried it over into this chapter. Just to reinforce who he is :)_**

It was like the air was sucked out of the room. Everything went cold, dry, and silent; not an intake of breath could be heard. Edmund did not know where to look. He watched Kiran jump up from his seat in the corner, where he had been silently watching the meeting. He made a move to protest, suggesting that he had not known about this plan, but the king waved his arm behind him, and Kiran stopped. Javan huffed and sat back. Edmund looked down at the table before his eyes could rest on Syrena; he could not look at her right now. In the corner of his eye, though, he caught a glimpse of her hands on her lap, folding and wringing together. Her knuckles were white. The other soldiers remained quiet.

"My father," she said calmly. "He's here?" Edmund resisted the urge to look at her, and instead glanced up at King Koran.

The king nodded, unable to hide the slight smirk edging its way across his face. "He has been here for several weeks now."

Edmund felt Syrena tense up beside him. He refused to look, but imagined her knuckles were still bone-white and clenched together. She inhaled deeply, breathing out through her nose. "I must speak with him about this before I agree to anything." Edmund had already gotten used to Syrena's diplomat-mode, but he could not believe how calm she remained. He felt himself grow more and more furious at the king.

King Koran stood up and walked towards a plain wooden door on the other side of the room. He knocked twice, at which a servant opened the door. "Have someone fetch Lord Rhoop from the armory. Bring Eliana here," he said. The servant nodded, curtsied, and shut the door behind her. King Koran walked back to his chair, but instead of sitting, stood beside it, staring at Syrena. "Eliana was one of my wife's maids; she will look after you during the duration of your stay. If you choose to agree," he said, with a tone that implied there was no choice, "she would be your head maid. For now, she will take you to the gardens, where I will send Lord Rhoop to meet you. The rest of you,"—he gestured towards Edmund, Javan, and their party—"will go with Kiran. He will show you to your rooms. Otherwise, you have free reign of my castle. Feel free to go where you wish." He left the room with one last hard glare at Syrena. Edmund looked at her now; her eyes were slightly narrowed, her nostrils slightly flared. Everything about her face told him she was trying her hardest to remain calm, and on the inside was anything but.

[...]

Everyone except Syrena and Edmund stood up from the table and were mingling in the corner, occasionally glancing in their direction. Kiran stood awkwardly to the side, his fingers rubbing his temple. Edmund took a deep breath and turned towards her.

"So. Not exactly what we were expecting, was it?" he asked with a shaky laugh. The laugh caught in his throat, and he choked it down. Everything hurt.

Syrena slowly shook her head, tilting down to look at her hands on her lap. "Not now, Ed," she said quietly.

Kiran came over to them then, clearing his throat once he stood close enough. "I must take you to your room now," he said. The others were already at the door, watching them and waiting. Edmund wanted to reach over and touch Syrena's arm, or her hands, but he knew she would pull away. He stood up, following Kiran and the others out of the room. He wanted to glance back at Syrena before the door shut, but kept walking to save himself the grief of seeing her face again.

[...]

Syrena did not have to wait long for Eliana to arrive. The young woman came in quietly through the same door that King Koran had gone to before. She was quite pretty, with raven hair and deeply tanned skin. Her eyes were nearly as black as her hair.

"Are you ready, my lady?" she asked, with the accent Syrena recognized from the coastal region of southern Archenland. In her childhood, she had often listened quietly at the doors during diplomatic gatherings with the Archenlanders her father had attended. Caspian was nearly always with her.

"Yes," she said, slowly regaining the use of her voice. Once King Koran had left, she felt her confidence slip away and wanted nothing more than to shrink into a ball and scream. Edmund's joking, though she knew was meant to lighten the mood, had made it worse. She stood from the table and followed Eliana to the gardens.

Under different circumstances, she would have loved her current surroundings. Eliana had left her at a stone bench surrounded by brightly colored flowers she could not name. Several trees were behind her, their long branches and thick covering of leaves providing shade from the mid-afternoon sun. Eliana had curtsied as she left, making quick eye contact with Syrena before. She noticed something off in the young woman's expression, like it was tinged with sadness or grief. Syrena thought she must have been listening outside the door before, or had heard from the other maids already. Perhaps the young woman felt pity for her.

She placed herself on the stone bench, straightening out her riding skirt. She fiddled with the fabric, anxious for what was to come. She had waited weeks to her from her father, for him to come home, and now, he was the last person she wanted to see. More than anything though, she was angry.

"Your mother used to do that too, when she was nervous."

Syrena did not mean to jump when she heard his voice, but she was so tense, it happened anyway. Her father was a few paces away behind her. He came towards her, sitting on the far side of the bench. He still had his leather gloves on, suggesting that he had been practicing in the armory. He never spoke of her mother, and it threw her off.

"I'm not nervous," she said. "I'm angry." She hoped she sounded so.

Her father looked at her gently. "I thought you might be. She would have been angry too, had I gone so long without contact—"

"That is not why I'm angry, and you know it."

He sighed. "Syrena, if I thought there was any other way—"

"There are about a hundred 'other ways' than this. This," she said seethingly, "is ill-conceived."

"Do not interrupt me," he said. He was growing frustrated with her, and she knew it. "I have been at this much longer than you have. There was little time for negotiation when we arrived. I had to make a quick decision"

"And you didn't think asking me first was necessary?"

"It would have taken too long to send word to you and wait for a reply," he said. "Not to mention, I know you; you would not have agreed."

"Of course I wouldn't agree!" she yelled. She stood up from her seat and glowered down at him. "Don't you think marrying your daughter off to a complete stranger, let alone a stranger from a land we have mediocre relations with, is a bit barbaric?"

"Sit down; you are causing a scene."

Syrena huffed and sat. He was speaking to her like he did when she misbehaved as a child. He moved closer to her, now speaking in hushed tones.

"You must think of the safety of Narnia. Something bigger is at play here."

Syrena turned towards him. "What do you mean?"

"These are not your average raiders. Most of the time, they are sloppy and unorganized—easy to deal with. These men are trained; they are more like mercenaries than raiders. They plan careful attacks. Even their targets seem to be chosen for a purpose."

"What purpose could farms and small villages have for mercenaries?" Syrena asked.

"I do not know. There is something bigger at play here. Someone is behind these attacks."

Syrena did not know what to say. She was curious now more than angry. Her father sensed that; he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "I know it is not what you want. If the circumstances were different, I would not want it for you either. But we need this alliance with Archenland, and Koran will not budge." He patted her twice, and stood. "Koran still needs Caspian's approval, since you are a high-born Narnian under his rule. I am afraid if Caspian does not approve, though, there will be no further negotiating."

She sighed heavily, feeling the weight of responsibility sink into every pore of her body. "I know. It's childish, but I wish it wasn't me."

Her father smiled joylessly down at her. He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed the top of her head.

[...]

Later, Syrena walked along an open-air corridor, where the half-wall and stone archways created glass-less windows. Syrena went up to one, leaning against one of the pillars of an arch. The sun was mid-set, casting an orange-glow to settle on everything as far as she could see.

She was still angry, less so at her father. It was all targeted towards King Koran. She wondered why he was so dead set on this marriage. She knew Lord Revilian and Lord Argoz both had a daughter slightly younger than herself. Why King Koran wanted her specifically, Syrena had her suspicions. She thought of what her mother had said in her dream. "For only you can stop the murder of the king," she whispered to herself.

She and Caspian had been close her entire life, even more so in the ten years her father had been gone. She was his closest confidant, and he hers. If she married Kiran, King Koran would have a direct link to Caspian through her. She knew then what Koran's plan was. He was going to use her to kill Caspian.

_**I have tomorrow off work, so I will write Chapter 13 in the morning (with a giant mug of strong coffee) and post it sometime tomorrow. Thanks again for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. You guys are incredible. **_

_**[...] indicates passage of time, or page break, or whatever you want to call it. Everything else I have tried to use usually does not show up in the published version of the chapters. **_


	13. Chapter 13

_**I kept my promise this time. **_

_**Please keep in mind while reading that I did not do any proof-reading of this chapter. There may be no, few, or many spelling/grammar mistakes. I am a work in progress. **_

Syrena woke from a restless sleep to Eliana knocking on the door. "Sorry to disturb you, my lady, but Lord Rhoop and the others are waiting for you in the grand hall. You are going home today."

Syrena dressed quickly. She had not unpacked, so Eliana waited outside her door to take her to the grand hall. They walked silently together. Syrena thought the woman might have hated her; she occasionally caught Eliana watching her as they walked, at which point the woman would whip her head forward to avoid Syrena's gaze.

She decided to address it. "Have I done something to offend you, miss?"

Eliana stared at her, puzzled—whether at her question or being called 'miss', Syrena could not tell—before answering. "No, not at all, my lady. It's just…your eyes…"

Syrena smiled, shaking her head. Of course it was her eyes. "They are odd, aren't they?"

Eliana looked horrified. "No—not odd at all! They are striking, actually."

Syrena's smile did not leave her face. Most people, especially those who did not see her mother first, were often shocked and put-off by her eyes. She remembered Ivene, Revilian's daughter and Javan's sister, once told her that her eyes were like the sheen that rainwater left on dirt. "Thank you," she said.

Eliana smiled back at her.

[…]

The journey back to Cair Paravel took a day less than it had their leaving. They did not meet anyone on the road, and therefore had no reason to stop and rest for the injured. Edmund had almost forgotten about the gash on his shoulder. The castle on the cliff was in their sights before it started to hurt him again.

He reached to rub at the tissue and muscle around it, careful not to touch the wound under the bandage. He winced a little, which Lord Rhoop must have noticed, as he was riding beside him.

"Did you hurt yourself, King of Old?"

Edmund nodded. "We were attacked on our way to Anvard; one of the raiders cut my shoulder. It's just sore from all the riding. And please, just call me Edmund."

Rhoop nodded. "Javan mentioned that had happened. I left my men behind to help with the patrols until negotiations are settled and we can send more soldiers."

Edmund frowned. "How do we know that the Archenlanders aren't behind all of this?"

Cair Paravel edged closer. Syrena, who had been riding in the back, raced Friga forward, and she took over leading. Everyone upped the pace. Lord Rhoop took a long time to answer, and when he did, his response was not what Edmund had expected.

"We do not."

[…]

The first thing Syrena did upon exiting the stable was race inside the castle to find Caspian. She found him with Cornelius in the elder man's study.

"We need to talk."

Caspian nodded. She turned and left the room with a brief nod of greeting to Cornelius, knowing that Caspian would follow her. She strode down the hallways, opening doors and looking into rooms to see if they were empty. Finally, she came upon the smallest of the three kitchens, which was only used when a feast was being prepared and the staff needed more space. She held the door open for Caspian. He gave her an odd looking, questioning why she would want to talk in a kitchen, but did not hesitate to enter. She closed the door behind him. She took a moment to breath, and Caspian waited for her to start.

"Did you know?"

Caspian's mouth twitched; he knew exactly why she brought him here. "I had an idea."

Syrena glared at him. "How could you not tell me? Or at least warn me?"

"I didn't know for sure that was Koran's plan. I had hoped not. But it seemed the most logical."

"Logical? What's logical about me marrying his son? I'm not your blood."

Caspian shrugged. "You are the closest thing I have to family, now. People know how much we care for each other, how much we trust each other. If Koran needed information on myself and the inner workings of Narnia, you are the most obvious person to target."

Syrena sighed, sitting down on one of the chairs in the corner by the stone oven, and dropped her head into her hands. "Why is this even happening? It's not supposed to happen like this…" she stopped, her words catching in her throat. Caspian pulled a chair around to sit across from her. "I guess I thought, with Edmund being back, things would be different."

Caspian reached over and grabbed her small hands in his. They felt clammy and trembled slightly, which only made him grip tighter. "I know. I wish things could be different for you—for both of you." He paused for several moments. "There is a council meeting in an hour; perhaps the other lords will find it foolish and come up with a better solution."

Syrena shook her head. She highly doubted it. She knew Caspian did too, but appreciated his false hope regardless.

Caspian suddenly chuckled softly. "Do you remember when our parents were planning our wedding?"

Syrena looked up at him. Her eyes, she realized, were teary. "I can't believe they ever thought we should marry."

Caspian feigned being hurt. "What? You wouldn't want to be married to all of this?" He released her hands and gestured to himself. Syrena snorted.

"We know each other too well to be a married couple. You would leave me for someone less stubborn the first chance you had."

Caspian smiled at her gently.

[…]

Once again, Syrena stood in the center of the Great Hall, waiting for the lords in front of her to make a decision. She and Caspian had parted ways at the kitchen, and she had immediately gone to her chambers to wash up and change. She wanted to make herself look powerful, intimidating even. Now here she was, standing straight with her head raised high and her shoulders back in a wine colored gown, her hair brushed and pulled back tightly from her face in a plait. Caspian and her father sat in the middle seats, directly in front of her, with the four lords sitting on either side of them. Thankfully, Edmund had chosen to decline her father's invitation to sit in. He had met her at the doors, though.

"He doesn't know, does he?"

"Know what?" she asked blankly.

"He has no idea about you and me."

Syrena did not want to deal with him right now. She had been purposefully avoiding him since their meeting with King Koran. Every time she saw him after, when they were riding home, when they were eating in the inns they stayed in, when she slept and dreamed, hurt too much. She was not in the habit of indulging in things that hurt her.

She shook her head and entered the hall, leaving Edmund to watch her walk in as the doors closed.

She had thought she was being brought here to plead her case. Instead, the lords focused their attention on her father, asking him questions about the negotiations with King Koran. He explained what the Archenland king wanted, and to Syrena's dismay, she watched them nod as he spoke, silently signaling their approval. Caspian, though, spoke up for her.

"My dear lords, I do believe we should give Syrena a chance to speak."

The lords finally turned to look at her, as if they had not realized she was there. She subtly nodded thanks towards Caspian, and he nodded back.

"My lords," she said, thanking Aslan for that her voice was not shaky, "I do not believe that my marriage to Prince Kiran is in the best interest of Narnia." She took a deep breath, hoping that her next words would not sound as ridiculous out loud as they did in her head. "I believe King Koran wishes to use this bond to gain access to King Caspian. I believe he means to infiltrate these halls with his own men-with spies—and murder our king."

The lords stared at her blankly. Revilian finally spoke up. "Dear girl, wherever did you get that idea?"

He was patronizing her, and she knew it. Javan may be one of the kindest men in Narnia, but his father was anything but. "Lord Revilian, it is anything but an idea. It is based on simple logic—"she glanced quickly at her father, seeing his eyes widen at her, before turning her attention back to Revilian,"—something this council seems to have been missing as of late."

That set the lords off. Argoz, the oldest of them, managed to nearly jump out of his seat. He started yelling at her, so quickly that she missed most of what he said. She did catch the words 'disrespectful' and 'irresponsible', though, and 'a disgrace to your family's name.' Mavramorn was trying to calm Argoz down by attempting to pull him back into his seat. Her father had his head down, and she could see him rubbing the bridge of his nose. Lord Ettinsmoor watched the scene before him with wide eyes. Revilian simply sat back in his chair and stared at her with a cold expression.

Caspian spoke. "Lord Argoz, please sit down." The man looked over at Caspian, huffing. He sat down with an audible plop. "Syrena, these accusations against King Koran are extreme. Are you ready to stand by them?"

"Yes."

Caspian nodded his head and sat back.

Revilian spoke again. "My king, if you think there is any truth to these 'facts' the girl has spoken of, then by all means, decline King Koran's request. In my opinion, and the opinion of the lords, that the marriage between King Koran's son and Lord Rhoop's daughter, if it is what will help protect our border, is in the best interest of Narnia — despite what she may think. After all, she is young and inexperienced in politics."

Syrena glared daggers at Revilian. He was watching her with a cold smile while he spoke.

Caspian looked back and forth between the lords. "We will put it to a vote, regardless" Syrena's heart dropped to her stomach. Caspian could not vote, and Revilian was right; the lords would vote against her. "If you are against King Koran's request, please raise your hand."

She was not surprised to see no hands being risen. Caspian looked back at her with sad eyes, wishing his next words did not have to be spoken. "If in favor of King Koran's request, raise your hand." Every hand went up; even her father's. There was some small part of her that hoped he would change his mind, but it was no use.

Revilian clapped his hands together. "Well, now that that has been decided, we can move onto more important matters," he said cheerfully. Syrena felt sick. "You may leave now."

Syrena did not want to bow to them, but she did anyway. Aggravating them further would get her nowhere. She turned on her heal and quickly headed for the door. All she wanted was to go back to her chambers and sleep: be like that princess in the fairytale Lucy had once told her on the Dawn Treader, the one who slept for a hundred years.

She opened the door and yelped. A figure had been leaning against the wood and fell towards her. She knew it would be Edmund before she even got a proper look. He righted himself before he toppled over her. Syrena pushed him back, shutting the door quickly behind her.

"What are you doing?" she whisper-yelled.

Edmund looked at her with all the same grief she felt. "That's it then. There's nothing we can do."

Syrena sighed. She wanted to sleep; exhaustion pulled at every inch of her body and her mind. "Meet me in the apple orchard later. After it's dark. I promise we will talk then."

**_What the hell is going on? Will Syrena go through with the marriage, or will she fight against it? Is Koran the person her mother warned her about? Or is it Kiran? Will Edmund and Syrena have a big fight, or will they have a big make-out session in the forest? Find out in a couple of days (the answer to the last question at least; my work schedule is a bit wonky these next few days so there may not be a chapter until the middle or end of next week.) _**

**_Let me know what you think will happen! _**


	14. Chapter 14

Syrena returned to her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. She plopped onto her bed and groaned into the covers. She was too exhausted to bother with being upset anymore. There was nothing to do now; soon she would be Kiran's wife.

She rolled over, staring up at the ceiling above her. Perhaps it was silly, but she had hoped that if Edmund ever returned to Narnia that they—

"No," she whispered to herself. She would not dwell right now. Dwelling would come later. Now she needed sleep.

When she woke, her room was nearly dark. She must have slept for several hours. Her stomach growled; she missed dinner, and she had not eaten before the council meeting.

She remembered then that she was meant to be meeting Edmund in the orchard soon. She draped a dark cloak around her shoulders. She snuck through the castle, heading towards the kitchens. The servants would be eating their own dinners by this time, so she crept in and grabbed leftover bread from the counter. She tucked it into her cloak, and exited the castle.

[xxx]

Edmund sat on the ground, leaning against an apple tree. He had brought a candle with him from the castle. He had carefully nestled it into the dirt, trying not to drip wax onto his hand. He hoped it would be enough light for Syrena to find him. The orchard had grown larger than when he had been here last, back when Cair Paravel was still a ruin. The trees were taller and the branches thicker. The orchard was turning into a forest.

He had picked a spot close to the cliff, where he could watch the waves hitting the beach and the rocks while he waited. He knew he was early, but he had been nervous all afternoon. He could barely sit through dinner, especially when Syrena never showed.

"She's probably resting, Edmund. Relax," Caspian had whispered to him.

Edmund knew he was right. They had all had a long couple of days, and pairing with that the events from their final day in Archenland and the council meeting earlier, he knew Syrena would be exhausted and angry.

So, as much as he had wanted to go to her room to check on her, he left her alone. He waited for as long as he could stand in his own room until the sun finally began to dip between the trees. He had brought a couple blankets from his room, and some food he'd snuck at dinner. He figured Syrena would be hungry.

He heard feet behind him, and he turned his head to look around. He could not see anyone, but her whisper was unmistakable:

"Ed? Ed, are you out here?"

He could see her now, a dark hooded figure emerging from a path to his left. "Over here," he called to her.

She'd finally seen him, and she walked quicker—a near run—towards him. She did not hesitate to sit down beside him, and she pulled the hood down off the top of her head. Her braid had come loose in spots; she looked wild.

"You weren't at dinner, so I brought you something," he said, passing her the cloth wrapped bundle of food. She smiled as she took it from him.

"Thank you," she said. "I didn't mean to sleep as long as I did."

They sat in silence while he waited for her to finish eating. Both of their eyes were glued on the waves in front of them.

"This feels odd," she said suddenly. Edmund turned his head towards her. She held a bit of bread part way to her mouth. Her eyes flicked towards him, catching his stare, and she quickly shoved the bread into her mouth.

"What does?"

She swallowed, grimacing as she did so, before speaking. "This—meeting like this. It feels secretive, like we shouldn't be doing it."

Edmund cracked a smile. "We probably shouldn't be, now that you're engaged."

Syrena frowned. "That was too soon."

Edmund sighed. "We don't have to talk about it. I don't really want to. I thought maybe you did. Since you asked me to meet you and all."

Syrena set the food bundle down. "I didn't want to talk in the castle. There are too many eyes inside those walls."

Edmund waited for her to say more, but she said nothing. He reached towards her, touching her hand. Perhaps it wasn't his smartest move, but he needed to comfort her in some way. He had let his own grief over the matter cloud his judgment, making him forget that she felt just as miserable as he did, if not more. To his surprise, she did not pull away. Instead, she leaned towards him, ducking her head under his arm. He pulled her close against his side.

"I hope you know…I can't imagine you don't…if I could change it, I wouldn't marry Kiran."

Edmund smiled sadly. "I know."

"If I could choose—"

"I know."

She was quiet for a moment. "Seems cruel doesn't it? You finally come back, and now I'm promised to someone else," she whispered. "If you could, would you marry me?"

Edmund could not help but snort. "You know I would."

She began to laugh, which set his heart ablaze. "I just wanted to be sure," she said, giggling while so.

When her laughter died down, she spoke again. "How much of the council meeting did you hear?"

"Enough of it," he replied. "No doubt I heard the yelling. You must have said something quite awful to set them off like that."

Syrena shook her head. "I think King Koran has ulterior motives behind a union between Kiran and I."

"What kind of motives?" Edmund asked.

"I think he means to take Narnia-kill Caspian."

"That's quite an accusation," Edmund replied.

"That's what Caspian said when I told him. It's the only reason I could think that Koran would want this union. Caspian has no sisters who could marry Kiran. I'm the closest thing he has to family."

Edmund considered this for a moment. "It could be just a political move. Peter dealt with this a lot with Susan when we ruled. Every man wanted to marry her, most of whom were looking for political power and titles through her."

"Except Caspian."

Edmund smiled. "Yes. He's not that kind of man."

Syrena sighed. "I know why he agreed to it. Our relationship with Archenland is a slippery one at best. Kiran and Caspian would get on fine, but everyone knows Koran does not like Narnia being ruled by someone so young. Being married to Kiran would create a bond between Narnia and Archenland that would be hard to break. Koran would have the one person he trusts to not betray him in the heart of Narnia's court." She dusted crumbs off her hands above the dirt. "Everyone knows Caspian is like family to me and I to him. If there was ever anyone they could use against him, I'm the best person for it."

Edmund nodded a little. "Alright, I can see where you're getting this from. But you would never let yourself be used like that."

"No, I wouldn't. But if the people I love were being threatened, I would do whatever necessary to keep them safe."

"At least Caspian is aware of the possibility of it now."

"He's aware, but he can't do anything about it. If he were to call the union off, it would anger Koran more. A war would simply come sooner than expected."

They were quiet for a while after that. Waves crashed loudly against the rocks below them. A gentle wind blew through the orchard behind them. It was a peaceful scene, aside from the content of their conversation.

Syrena broke their silence. "It's all a game. Making promises, breaking promises, forging alliances, breaking alliances, marriages, deceit, treachery, and few true allies. It doesn't matter who you trust or who you betray, as long as you benefit from it."

Edmund sighed dramatically, causing Syrena to crack a wide smile. "I'd forgotten how much I hated politics."

**_Sorry guys. It's been a busy year. Lots of illnesses and family issues on top of a really tough 2nd year. I am now on summer break! No promises as to when the next update will be. Crossing my fingers that it will be soon, though! Thanks for being (extremely) patient readers :)_**


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